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National Public Lands Day at Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area/BLM Lakeview District

The Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area is managed by the BLM’s Lakeview Resource Area. It is located in the remote Rabbit Basin in the high desert grassland habitat of South-Central Oregon. Visitors to this location enjoy collecting rare feldspar crystals known as sunstones. These gems were formed in lava thirteen to fourteen million years ago during an eruption of Steens Mountain.

The site is located approximately 25 miles north of Plush, Oregon.

The Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area receives thousands of visitors each year. This recreation site is extremely exposed to the elements, including high winds. It is not uncommon for visitors to leave garbage and debris behind at campsites, not fill in holes after digging for gemstones, build fire rings outside of designated areas, stray off of existing roads to take advantage of the area’s abundant wide-open spaces, or accidently walk onto private mining claims. The 2016 NPLD project will involve the performance of the following tasks: construction of wind shelters at site tent pads, collection and disposal of trash, reclamation of abandoned sunstone collection holes, removal of unauthorized fire rings, installation of bollards to control vehicle use, installation of public collection area boundary markers, painting of the site’s kiosk, and installation of a brochure box.

All of the work planned for the Lakeview Resource Area’s 2016 NPLD event will promote user safety, improve amenity aesthetics, and restore resource values.

Interpretive Activities:

BLM staff will educate participants on the history and geological significance of the site. Information will be shared on the issues associated with managing public lands and recreation sites, and the need for shared stewardship of these irreplaceable resources.